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The Mortar Pestle

MORE OF THE PUBLIC HOUSING 'MESS'

We are pleased to see how divergent groups and organizations in St. Thomas have united with a common front in favor of the Altona area as the proper site for the next housing project.

From the start Virgin Islands Unity Party was in favor of the Altona Site. Our only concern was what would happen to the people who own superficiary homes in that area. It was for this reason that Unity Party Senators fought to have provisions made to purchase land in the same vicinity to be sold on easy terms to the superficiary home owners so that they may become full land and home owners. We fought for this, because one of our objectives, which we have always included in our political platforms in more land and home ownership by the natives of the Virgin Islands.

The Virgin Islands Housing and Redevelopment Authority actually forced the Altona area on the Legislature, using every effective argument it could produce. The St. Thomas Daily News published by the King Pin of the Housing Authority carried editorials day after day proving why Altona was THE SITE for the housing project. But after one informal sitting in the Federal Virgin Bar between the Executive Director of the Authority and the owners of the land, the area was dropped like a hot potato, and Sugar Estate pulled like a rabbit out of a hat!

We think that the Authority did not play fair with the Governor and the Legislature by not advising them that there was an alternative site under consideration when the Altona area was recommended. We feel that both the Executive and Legislative Branches of the Government should have been given all the facts so that a clear picture could be obtained.

However, be that as it may, the fact remains that the Altona is still the best site for the housing project, and virtually every adult person in St. Thomas wants the project there. With such widespread interest in the project, there should be no hiding behind vague housing technicalities and high sounding words that do not mean anything in particular. That is what the whole matter has boiled down into, a jargon of technicalities. The PHA in Puerto Rico is passing the ball to the local Housing Authority, and the local housing Authority is passing it back to PHA. At this stage we feel that Governor Gordon should get actively into the picture.

(Continued on pg. 8)